Folding indoor clothes dryer

ABSTRACT

A COLLAPSIBLE INDOOR CLOTHES DRYER INCLUDES AN ELONGATED BOX-LIKE ENCLOSURE WITH OPEN FRONT. CHANNEL MEMBERS EACH EQUAL IN LENGTH TO ONE-HALF THE ENCLOSURE ARE HINGED TO ENDS OF THE ENCLOSURE. A COLLAPSIBLE FRAME FORMED BY MUTUALLY PIVOTABLE SIDE BARS AND HORIZONTAL RODS IS SECURED AT ONE END INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE. LUGS ON ENDS OF THE SIDE BARS HOLD THEM IN V-SHAPED ANGULAR DISPOSITION WHEN THE FRAME IS EXTENDED, SO THAT ADJACENT RODS ARE DISPOSED IN DIFFERENT PLANES.

Sept. 20, 1971 I. RUINA 3,606,018

FOLDING INDOOR CLOTHES DRYER Filed Aug. 18, 1969 ZSheets-Sheet 1 i IRVING RUINA ATTORNEYS Sept. 20, 1971 RUINA 3,606,018

FOLDING INDOOR CLOTHES DRYER Filed Aug. 18, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 I9- I, INVI'JNI I).

IRVING RUINA fake/q A'V'I'URNIH S United, St es PM? t US. Cl. 2111.3 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A collapsible indoor clothes drier includes an elongated I box-like enclosure with open front. Channel members each equal in length to one-half the enclosure are hinged to ends of the enclosure. A collapsible frame formed by mutually pivotable side bars and horizontal rods is secured at one end inside the enclosure. Lugs on ends of the side bars hold them in V-shaped angular disposition when the frame is extended, so that adjacent rods are disposed in different planes.

This invention concerns improvements in indoor clothes driers of type described in my prior Pat. 3,437,213, granted Apr. 8, 1969.

In my prior patent, channel shaped frame members are swingable into extended and nested relationships. One member is adapted to be fixed to a support wall and enclosing a roller actuating device. Other opposed members have trackways. A series of rods are provided extending across the frame to other frame members. The rods are movable by the roller actuating device to collapsed condition. Ends of the rods roll along opposed trackways. The rods are disposed in a flat horizontal plane when extended to hold clothes for drying thereon.

In the present invention the construction is simplified and improved. Two channel shaped members swing outwardly from a box-like enclosure. Secured to the inner wall of the enclosure is a collapsible frame including horizontal rods and pivotable side bars. The side bars have locking fingers or lugs to assume inclined positions, so that when the frame is extended adjacent rods are disposed in two vertically spaced planes, alternate rods being disposed substantially in a common plane. This arrangement makes it easier to hang clothes on the frame. The channel shaped members support the extended frame and serve as an outer wall of the enclosure when the frame is retracted. Towel bars are mounted on the outer side of the channel shaped members. These can be grasped to facilitate opening and closing the channel members.

For further comprehension (par. A).

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drier device embodying the invention shown mounted in closed position on a wall and supporting towels thereon.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 .1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drier in open position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4, parts being broken away.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a frame bar, parts being broken away.

Referring to the drawing, the drier 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, mounted on a vertical wall 12. The drier includes a box-like enclosure 14 having horizontal top and bottom walls 16, 18, end walls 20 and a rear wall 22. The front of the enclosure is open. The rear wall 22 is secured by screws 24 to supporting wall 12. A pair 3,606,018 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 of channel shaped members 26, 28 are secured'by vertical hinges 30 to end walls 20 of the enclosure. U-shaped bars 32 for supporting towels 34 are mounted by brackets 36 on outer sides of the channel members. Horizontal angle bars 38 and 40 are mounted by rivets 41 at upper and lower flanges 42, 44 of the channel members. These angle bars have flanges 45, 46 extending horizontally in opposed positions when the channel members are in the open position shown in FIG. 4. When the channel members are closed in the position shown best in FIG. 2, the flanges 4S and 46 extend inwardly of enclosure 14.

A collapsible frame 50 is provided for the drier. This frame has a vertical, rectangular bracket 52 secured by screws 54 to the bottom wall 18 of the enclosure near the rear wall 22. Pivotally attached to sides of bracket 52 are two chains of side bars 56. Each bar has holes 58 ice ' near opposite ends as best shown in FIG. 7. These holes receive ends of horizontal rods 60. Screws or rivets 62 in ends of the rods hold them to the side bars. Ends of adjacent side bars are disposed in laterally overlapping disposition. Rectangular lugs 63, 64 are formed at opposite ends of each side bar. These lugs are located in different planes lug 63 being an extension of the upper edge 65 of the bar and lug 64 being an extension of the lower edge 68 of the bar. The lugs engage alternately at upper and lower edges 65, 68 of adjacent side bars. By this arrangement the adjacent side bars when extended assume V-shaped position and each chain of bars assumes a zigzag configuration; see FIGS. 4 and 5. The foremost side bars 56' rest on lower flanges 45. A pair of short posts 70 are provided near outer ends of lower flanges 45. These posts engage the foremost horizontal rod 60' to prevent inadvertent closure of the frame.

When the foremost rod 60' is pushed inwardly from the extended position after extension of the frame as shown in FIG. 4, the entire frame will collapse into enclosure 14. Rod 60' must be disengaged from posts 70 to permit collapsing of the frame. The rods 60 will maintain their horizontal positions in both extended and collapsed positions of the frame. In the extended position adjacent rods are disposed alternately in upper and lower positions. This desirable feature makes it easier to mount hangers such as hanger on the frame, to hang garmets for drying, to remove dried garments and to facilitate drying of garments hung on adjacent rods. When the drier is fully closed the rods and side bars are wholly concealed while flanges 46 prevent inadvertent lifting and displacement of the frame when garments are being removed from the rods 60.

The device is relatively simple in construction. It can be made of metal or plastic parts by mass production metal and plastic working machinery. It will be found to be a useful accessory appliance for a bathroom in a home, hotel, motel, etc.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible, indoor clothes drier, comprising an elongated box-like enclosure having top, bottom, a back and end walls and an open front; a pair of channel members; hinges securing one end of each channel member to a different one of the end walls; and a collapsible frame secured to at least one of the walls inside the enclosure, said frame consisting of two substantially parallel chains of end-to-end side bars disposed in vertical planes, consecutive adjacent ones of said bars of each respective chain having laterally overlapping apertured ends, and a plurality of rods horizontally disposed and engaged at opposite ends in said apertures of said adjacent bars such that adjacent bars are angularly pivotable with respect to each other, said channel members supportable of lower ends of at least some of said bars of the frame when the frame is extended; said drier further comprising lugs formed at opposite ends of eachjside bar, saidlugs being disposed respectively at opposite long edges of the bar so that each lug engages an adjacent bar when the frame is extended and holds the adjacent bars in V-shaped disposition with respect to each other, whereby each chain of bars assumes a zig-zag configuration to hold adjacent rods at different heights; said drier further comprising angle bars mounted on inner sides of the channel members, each of said angle bars being mounted on at least one of said hinges such that lower angle bar proximal ends provide support to respective said channel members each channel member having a respective one of its upper angle bars mounted on its respective hinge, when respective channel members are in the swung-open position for extending the frame; said angle bars having horizontal flanges supporting the frame underneath when the channel members are swung outwardly of the enclosure and the frame is extended; said drier further comprising posts secured to said flanges at outer ends thereof for engaging a foremost one of said rods to prevent inadvertent closure of the frame, and said channel members being of substantially equal length and each being substantially one-half said enclosures length such as to define a front wall for the enclosure when the channel members are swung inwardly against the collapsed frame.

2. A collapsible drier as defined in claim 1, further comprising U-shaped bars on said channel members to facilitate swinging the channel members open and to serve as towel supporting members.

3. A collapsiblerdrier as defined in clairnvLjurther comprising other angle bars mounted on inner sides of the channel members above: said frame to prevent inadvertent lifting of said frame from the first named angle bars when the frame is extended and the channel members are opened. 3 i

References Cited; v UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,673 11/1907 Cavaha 211 105.

1,219,624 3/1917 Cannan 211-945 1,841,278 1/1932 Da1las 2482-77 2,327,410 8/1943 Ferguson 1 21'1 l62X 2,792,267 5/1957 Hubbard 10845, 3,437,213 4/1969 Ruina 211-1. 3

FOREIGN PATENTS 332,377 7/1930 Great Britain 211 104 564,877 11/1932 Germany 211-1 04 569,794 11/1957 Italy 1 211 1.3

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner A. FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1.X.R. 211-945, 104, 171 

